Lagoon style reef in Abu Dhabi now complete and running
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Levels are stable and it's running really well. I have the skimmer running just to help remove any particles or any proteins released from the DSB transplant. As soon as I add the turbo start the skimmer will go off for a few weeks.
A few observations, from a few hours of running it looks as if a heater is not required, I haven't plugged it in and the water temp maintains 25,5degC which is slightly warmer than our room temp. However this may a problem without the aircon on which we normally turn off at night so perhaps that needs to change.
Then I ran one of the gyre pumps to see and my first thought was wow its not as powerful as what I expected. But that was without changing the wave type setting or without anything to measure with other than my hand. So perhaps I might need to add another 2 as the 7feet length is a fair distance for the flow to cover. But let's see how it goes.
I am very happy with the Jebao return pump, it's running at 80% to maintain the correct water level.
Still lots to do but the next task is to start assembling the rock scaping.
A few observations, from a few hours of running it looks as if a heater is not required, I haven't plugged it in and the water temp maintains 25,5degC which is slightly warmer than our room temp. However this may a problem without the aircon on which we normally turn off at night so perhaps that needs to change.
Then I ran one of the gyre pumps to see and my first thought was wow its not as powerful as what I expected. But that was without changing the wave type setting or without anything to measure with other than my hand. So perhaps I might need to add another 2 as the 7feet length is a fair distance for the flow to cover. But let's see how it goes.
I am very happy with the Jebao return pump, it's running at 80% to maintain the correct water level.
Still lots to do but the next task is to start assembling the rock scaping.
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I managed to finish 2/3 of the scaping work. I'm going to try and finish the last pieces in the next two days.
I'm looking forward to receiving the light fittings in the next day or two. Then also my wife is just about finished with the 3 paintings so that can all go up. Also we really need that fritz turbo start now, I think it should arrive on Wed.
I'm looking forward to receiving the light fittings in the next day or two. Then also my wife is just about finished with the 3 paintings so that can all go up. Also we really need that fritz turbo start now, I think it should arrive on Wed.
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My wife just let me know that the paintings are complete and the light units have just been delivered. So lots of work to do again, and a bunch of other responsibilities to see to this week so time is limited. Let's see how it works out.
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And that's a wrap on the building. 16 days to go from glass panels, foam, wood, metal tubing and other DIY raw materials to this system is very satisfying, specially when it's only evenings and weekends between other family commitments. The best thing is that it was a team effort, the whole family assisted.
Also the Fritz turbo start arrived today so that's added and skimmer is off. We will collect a decent size colony of pods on the weekend. Our next goal is to get the QT tank running. We currently have a bunch of filter foam blocks seeding in the sump which will go over to the QT tank in about 2 weeks time.
Also the Fritz turbo start arrived today so that's added and skimmer is off. We will collect a decent size colony of pods on the weekend. Our next goal is to get the QT tank running. We currently have a bunch of filter foam blocks seeding in the sump which will go over to the QT tank in about 2 weeks time.
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This weekend I setup the Noopsyche lights with the app and synchronized all three. I am very impressed with the lights they are very easy to use and can be dialed in exactly as required. I also completed my DIY ATO and it works extremely well. I need to build and install the same ATO unit on the QT system this week. I don't have much time as from Thursday we are traveling for a few days.
Then we have 6 chromis and a 2inch foxface in the QT tank at the moment. They went in on Sat mid day and last night after I was happy that they were ready I introduced copper at 1ppm. Then this morning I added the same dosage expecting it to now be about 2ppm, this evening I will add the final dose to get us into the 2.3ppm range and count down the 31 days. What is interesting is that these fish all looked great (actually pristine) with no visible parasites to the eye. But within 15min of adding the 1ppm dose of copper the behavior of the chromis changed significantly. They became very agitated with each other and basically began fighting amongst each other a fair amount. They began flashing at some of the PVC fittings in the QT tank as well, clearly indicating that there must have been some parasite present which was being effected by the copper and in turn agitating the fish. This was something I have never observed before when treating multiple fish in a holding tank. I expect to see some further indications of the parasite reaction to copper in the next day or two.
Then we have 6 chromis and a 2inch foxface in the QT tank at the moment. They went in on Sat mid day and last night after I was happy that they were ready I introduced copper at 1ppm. Then this morning I added the same dosage expecting it to now be about 2ppm, this evening I will add the final dose to get us into the 2.3ppm range and count down the 31 days. What is interesting is that these fish all looked great (actually pristine) with no visible parasites to the eye. But within 15min of adding the 1ppm dose of copper the behavior of the chromis changed significantly. They became very agitated with each other and basically began fighting amongst each other a fair amount. They began flashing at some of the PVC fittings in the QT tank as well, clearly indicating that there must have been some parasite present which was being effected by the copper and in turn agitating the fish. This was something I have never observed before when treating multiple fish in a holding tank. I expect to see some further indications of the parasite reaction to copper in the next day or two.
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I realized that I forgot to add an update on the Magtool 1600 gyre pump. After adding the scaping I feel that these pumps are actually perfect for this tank. In the open water column it felt a little underpowered for the job but I have now changed my mind.
I have also powered up the Magtool NP100 skimmer which is fitted to the QT tank and Im pretty impressed with its aeration and setup. It hasn't began producing any skimate just yet but I feel like its going to be a great little skimmer.
I mentioned that the heater was really not working and that our room temperature was maintaining the temp pretty well. Well with the QT system running I saw something different and this led me to investigate the display tank heater system (Magtool 800w heater https://www.amazon.ae/dp/B0CJ93ZFW5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 ) well it turned out that the heater actually was not working. The controller was working fine but it was just not heating the water. I have returned it and ordered a replacement as its really a good unit and I must have received a damaged one.
I'm also battling a little with the Chromis in the QT process at the moment and that's fine. No one is in any rush and it will take as long as it takes. Updates on the QT challenges can be found here https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/chromis-during-copper-treatment.1074664/
I have also powered up the Magtool NP100 skimmer which is fitted to the QT tank and Im pretty impressed with its aeration and setup. It hasn't began producing any skimate just yet but I feel like its going to be a great little skimmer.
I mentioned that the heater was really not working and that our room temperature was maintaining the temp pretty well. Well with the QT system running I saw something different and this led me to investigate the display tank heater system (Magtool 800w heater https://www.amazon.ae/dp/B0CJ93ZFW5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 ) well it turned out that the heater actually was not working. The controller was working fine but it was just not heating the water. I have returned it and ordered a replacement as its really a good unit and I must have received a damaged one.
I'm also battling a little with the Chromis in the QT process at the moment and that's fine. No one is in any rush and it will take as long as it takes. Updates on the QT challenges can be found here https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/chromis-during-copper-treatment.1074664/
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Some depressing news. My wife tells me that the RO water container emptied itself into the sump. She only realized when she heard the ATO pump cavitating that there was a problem. The RO reservoir was half full so had around 30Ltr which would not have made much of a change in the system salinity.
But due to this I am throwing in the towel on my DIY ATO system. The fact is I just cant find float switches which are reliable. When building the system I had two which failed to closed circuit, then I change the float switch type and brand but clearly its happened again. The rest of my design is flawless but if the switches keep failing then its overs. So I have just ordered proper ATO units for the display and QT systems. I love DIY, its half the fun but sometimes you just have to be smart and go with a product. Specially on something this simple but very important.
But due to this I am throwing in the towel on my DIY ATO system. The fact is I just cant find float switches which are reliable. When building the system I had two which failed to closed circuit, then I change the float switch type and brand but clearly its happened again. The rest of my design is flawless but if the switches keep failing then its overs. So I have just ordered proper ATO units for the display and QT systems. I love DIY, its half the fun but sometimes you just have to be smart and go with a product. Specially on something this simple but very important.
Amazing build!!!! Excited to see where it goes next.
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Thank you so much, that is hugely appreciated.
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A little update:
From a hardware point of view, I added a hardwood back panel against the wall. This was to mount all the controllers and plug points onto. I am so happy that this is complete, as having cables and controllers hanging or laying randomly was starting to really annoy me.
From a hardware point of view, I added a hardwood back panel against the wall. This was to mount all the controllers and plug points onto. I am so happy that this is complete, as having cables and controllers hanging or laying randomly was starting to really annoy me.
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Last night the ATO units arrived. I'm very very impressed with these. It took 10 min to install one on the main system and one on the QT system. They are precise and I think they will be reliable. I should have done this in the beginning instead building my own.
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An update
This system is doing extremely well and I couldn't be happier. Since the last update I have fitted and started running the UV light about 3 days back. This I did as soon as I saw significant algae growth. Infact at that time I pushed the light intensity up and extended the period to 12hrs total. This I did to gauge my gravity fed flow rate of around 1500Ltr per with the 37W UV light. I'm happy with the results of that test, infact I'm blow away by how effective the UV was against that strain of algae. We have also completed the QT process with the chromis and the foxface and they are looking good now in the DT. We also have a small group of clean up crew. 6 turbos, 6 hermits and 2 tiny fire shrimp.
Then part of the scaping plan was to create 6 small 3D printed domes (80mm x 50mm) then have GSP and pulsing xenia grow over the plastic domes. They will then be placed on the white substrate to give good contrast. The domes are pedestal mounted and elevated 15mm above the substrate to keep the GSP and Xenia localized to the plastic domes (some small fish or shrimps can also use these as housing. So this process has now also started.
But my favorite is the Hydor skimmer. This thing is just insane, with such a small bioload this skimmer is pulling the tiniest amount of protein from the water. I'm seriously impressed with its effectiveness.
This system is doing extremely well and I couldn't be happier. Since the last update I have fitted and started running the UV light about 3 days back. This I did as soon as I saw significant algae growth. Infact at that time I pushed the light intensity up and extended the period to 12hrs total. This I did to gauge my gravity fed flow rate of around 1500Ltr per with the 37W UV light. I'm happy with the results of that test, infact I'm blow away by how effective the UV was against that strain of algae. We have also completed the QT process with the chromis and the foxface and they are looking good now in the DT. We also have a small group of clean up crew. 6 turbos, 6 hermits and 2 tiny fire shrimp.
Then part of the scaping plan was to create 6 small 3D printed domes (80mm x 50mm) then have GSP and pulsing xenia grow over the plastic domes. They will then be placed on the white substrate to give good contrast. The domes are pedestal mounted and elevated 15mm above the substrate to keep the GSP and Xenia localized to the plastic domes (some small fish or shrimps can also use these as housing. So this process has now also started.
But my favorite is the Hydor skimmer. This thing is just insane, with such a small bioload this skimmer is pulling the tiniest amount of protein from the water. I'm seriously impressed with its effectiveness.
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The family cat is also enjoying the aquarium. He spends most of his time staring at the pulsing xenia and very little time focusing on the fish. Its a good thing this cat is scared to death of even a single drop of water.
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I have to say that the Magtool 1600 Gyre pumps have really proved to be way way more flow than what I will need. I of course at first felt as though they were going to be weak but then I found them to be ok and now I have them on minimum. I can only think that they needed to run in and that this has happened. I think when the SPS is introduced and the bigger fish are in the tank I can turn the flow up to 60 or 80%.
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With regards to the livestock list we decided to make some minor changes.
8 x Dispar Anthias is to many so we decided to go with 4 of them and then add 1 pair of fire fish and the other pair is undecided at this time. We also decided that it would be better to remove the yellow tang and replace it with a foxface which has already happened.
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The next group of fish is in QT for a few days now and going through copper treatment first. I will pull the firefish our and do a second Ruby Reef Pro dip at the end of the copper period and then introduce them to the display. While the emperor, Scopas and Blue tang will stay together through 2 Praziquantel rounds.
Following that the Emperor and Blue tang can go to the display but the Scopas needs to chill, possibly in the sump. The reason for this is that the Scopas needs to be introduced along with the Gem tang which we do not yet have but I am hoping to find a Gen tang in the next 6 weeks. The timing of some of these new introductions is crucial and Ideally the Emperor should have been paired with the Blue Ring angel but this Emperor came to us when we were not expecting it. With these two angles its not a train smash at all so no probs. Where as with the two Zebrasoma's timing is crucial. This specific Scopas although not displaying it in the video is a very rich dark coloration and was not actually for sale but in a LFS display tank and when we saw it we had to negotiate a very inflated price to purchase it, the fish stayed at the LFS for nearly 4 weeks before I could collect it on Sat, attempts to find a Gem tang in the passed 2 weeks succumbed to nothing but I could not leave the Scopas at the LFS any longer, this is really a beautiful specimen. The Blue tang was purchased from a local expat reefer in Abu Dhabi and is a nice fat red sea specimen with a ton of character even though we have only been interacting with him for 4 days.
Following that the Emperor and Blue tang can go to the display but the Scopas needs to chill, possibly in the sump. The reason for this is that the Scopas needs to be introduced along with the Gem tang which we do not yet have but I am hoping to find a Gen tang in the next 6 weeks. The timing of some of these new introductions is crucial and Ideally the Emperor should have been paired with the Blue Ring angel but this Emperor came to us when we were not expecting it. With these two angles its not a train smash at all so no probs. Where as with the two Zebrasoma's timing is crucial. This specific Scopas although not displaying it in the video is a very rich dark coloration and was not actually for sale but in a LFS display tank and when we saw it we had to negotiate a very inflated price to purchase it, the fish stayed at the LFS for nearly 4 weeks before I could collect it on Sat, attempts to find a Gem tang in the passed 2 weeks succumbed to nothing but I could not leave the Scopas at the LFS any longer, this is really a beautiful specimen. The Blue tang was purchased from a local expat reefer in Abu Dhabi and is a nice fat red sea specimen with a ton of character even though we have only been interacting with him for 4 days.
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I have managed to find a Gem Tang, the only option was again from a stores display tank. The fish appears to be the same size as the Scopas. As with all the other livestock it's 2 hrs drive there and 2 hrs back so ideally it's best done on a weekend but I would like to get this fish in the QT tank before the first week of copper treatment is complete. So I will try and go this evening. Although I have seen this fish before it was not with the aim of purchasing it for our tank, so there is a chance I may feel the fish is to big for our longterm plans when I see it.
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